Trade Policy
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Customs Union
- Apr.12.2018: Is Labour Selling the UK a Turkey? A future UK-EU customs union should not be ruled out. While it would place some constraints on a future UK independent trade policy, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Does being in a customs union prevent the UK signing new trade deals? (good explanation in here re what exactly a customs union is). Sam Lowe, Centre for European Reform. (Sam Lowe is a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform)
Articles
- Feb.01.2018: Who will benefit from the UK’s ‘golden partnership’ with China? Dorothy Grace Guerrero, Global Justice Now.
- Feb.17.2018: Rightwing groups plot to ditch EU safety standards on food and drugs. Organisers of the self-styled “shadow trade talks”, which are set to include 10 leading rightwing and libertarian groups from the UK and the US, are preparing to push their “ideal free trade agreement” that would allow the import of US meats, drugs and chemicals banned in Britain. Michael Savage, The Guardian.
- Feb.17.2018: A hard-Brexit think tank accidentally published its plans for US-UK ‘shadow trade talks’. The Initiative for Free Trade accidentally published plans for a transatlantic network of conservative think tanks with secret plans to influence USA/UK trade negotiations. Documents outline plans to form an “unprecedented” coalition of hard-Brexit and libertarian think tanks, which call for Britain to ditch strict EU safety standards – including rules on food and pharmaceuticals – in order to secure a sweeping USA/UK trade deal. The group will hold “shadow trade talks” in Washington and London to “hash out an ‘ideal’ US-UK free trade agreement.” It hopes this will form the “blueprint” for the real negotiations between the British and US govts. Barry Gardiner said: “This looks like another attempt by the IFT to legitimise what is an overtly political agenda by using a govt department to sanction their work with right-wing think tanks overseas". Participants: American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, Manhattan Institute, Heritage Foundation, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Legatum Institute, Adam Smith Institute, Policy Exchange, Civitas, Institute of Economic Affairs. Lawrence Carter, UnEarthed@Greenpeace.
- Jul.25.2017: Chlorinated chicken? Yes, we really can have too much trade. Why do we want more trade? What is it for? The old promise was that trade led to prosperity. But what if we have enough already? What if enhanced global trade, far from promoting wellbeing, now undermines it? To trade fundamentalists, rainforests and ancient woodlands, coral reefs and wild rivers, local markets and lively communities, civic life and public space are nothing but unrealised opportunities for development. Where we see the presence of beauty, tranquillity and wonder, they see the absence of palm oil plantations and soybean deserts, container ports and mega-dams, shopping malls and 12-lane highways. For them, there is no point of arrival, just an endless escalation of transit. George Monbiot, The Guardian.